How Hampden Park, Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge have changed

Changing times

You won’t believe what some of the game’s best loved grounds used to look like

Scotland will remain in their Hampden Park home, the SFA have confirmed.

It had been thought a move to Murrayfield was on the cards, but the governing body are buying the stadium from Queen’s Park.

Home to the famous ‘Hampden Roar‘, the famous Glasgow venue has seen some true glory nights.

Glasgow is where Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 to win the 1960 European Cup final. It’s also where Zinedine Zidane scored that volley to help Real win the same competition in 2002.

And here, talkSPORT.com looks at how some of football’s most famous stadiums have changed over the years.

Old Trafford then – Taken more than 100 years ago, this brilliant photo shows Man United’s home as it was in 1913

Old Trafford today – It has a capacity approaching 76,000, but back in 1913 it could theoretically hold 80,000, most of which would have been on standing terraces.

The old Wembley then – The photo above was taken just before the old Wembley opened for business for the very first time.

Wembley now – The original stadium’s official record attendance was 126,047, for the first FA Cup final played there in 1923, although many more people gained entrance, with conservative estimates suggesting at least 200,000 fans were in the ground. It received a new roof in the early 1960s and was converted to an all-seater venue by 1990, but was closed in 2000, to be replaced by the new 90,000 capacity Wembley.

Stamford Bridge then – Three FA Cup finals were played at Stamford Bridge, including one in 1920, the year the photo above was taken.

Stamford Bridge now – Once a giant bowl with vast terraces and a track separating the pitch from the fans, Stamford Bridge’s official record attendance is 82,905, from Chelsea’s meeting with Arsenal in 1935. That record is unlikely to ever be broken, as the ground – extensively redeveloped in the 1990s, when it lost the last remnants of the old track – has a current capacity of 41,837.

White Hart Lane then – This photo was taken in 1921 – a lucky year for Spurs, who will never call it by anything else

White Hart Lane now (23 August) – It’s said to be ‘lucky when the year ends in one’ for Spurs and they did indeed win the FA Cup in 1921. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, on five occasions Tottenham had the highest average attendance in English football, with crowds in excess of 50,000 regularly cramming in to White Hart Lane. These days, they are patiently waiting to get into the new version of the site, which stands in the same spot as the old 36,240-capacity ground.

The Valley then – This vast terrace held 30,000 standing and football crowds boomed after the end of the Second World War in 1945. This photo shows a packed terrace in 1950.

The Valley now – Once the largest league ground in London, when it was capable of holding up to 75,000 fans – including 30,000 fans standing on the massive East Stand – the Valley eventually fell into disrepair after Charlton were forced to leave their home in 1985. The club returned to a remodelled Valley in 1992 and subsequently developed the ground further, leaving it with a current capacity of 27,111.

Carrow Road then – Norwich’s original home was The Nest, but they moved into their current ground in 1935.

Carrow Road now – Following its construction, it was another 53 years until another professional football club built a new stadium in England, with Scunthorpe’s Glanford Park arriving in 1988. The record crowd of 43,984 was set in 1963, with the current capacity being 27,220 (not including any guests staying at the hotel, now situated between the Barclay and the Jarrold Stands).

Villa Park then – It has hosted more FA Cup semi-finals than any other ground in the country. Look at that terrace!

Villa Park now – Built in 1897, Villa Park is one of the most historic and magnificent football grounds in English – if not world – football. Originally an oval shape, complete with cycling track, it was redeveloped to include the magnificent Trinity Road stand and huge Holte End terrace, which once held more than 20,000 fans. In the 1990s the old Holte End was replaced with a seated version, while the Trinity Road stand was redeveloped in 2001, leaving the current capacity at 42,788.

Hampden Park then – A pair of binoculars wouldn’t have gone amiss if you were stood at the back of the here, although you might not have been able to keep hold of them considering crowds of more than 130,000 would cram in to watch games. It was once the biggest ground in the world.

Hampden Park now – Officially the third Hampden Park (or at least, third site) to host tenants Queens Park, this ground is famed as the home of Scottish football and for its incredible attendances in the 20th century. When Scotland met England in 1937, 149,415 people officially entered the ground, although estimates suggest another 20,000 got in without tickets. As late as 1970, 136,505 saw Celtic beat Leeds in the European Cup semi-final, but in 1999 the old stadium was replaced with a new 52,063 capacity ground.

St James’ Park then – First opened in 1892, this football ground has undergone plenty of changes over the years.

St James’ Park now – Now the third largest football ground in England, St James’ Park can now hold 52,404 all-seated fans.

Celtic Park then – First opened in 1892, this stadium is unrecognisable from the layout it had for most of its history. It was redeveloped in the 1990s.

Celtic Park now – For 100 years, Celtic Park – or Parkhead, as it’s commonly called – was an oval-shape with vast terracing, but in the 1990s it underwent extensive renovation to become a modern stadium with a capacity of 60,000, leaving its record attendance of 83,500 out of reach for now.

The Maracana then – With its huge standing areas, this football ground once had a capacity of 200,000. The old Maracana holds the attendance world record…

The Maracana now – Opened in time for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Rio’s Maracana overtook Hampden Park as the world’s biggest football stadium. For the final match of the 1950 tournament, an incredible 199,854 fans packed on to the gigantic covered terraces of the Maracana, with most left disappointed when Brazil were upset by Uruguay. The old stadium was renovated to hold 78,838 for the 2014 World Cup.

This is Anfield then – Taken at the start of the 20th century, this photo was snapped before the most famous part of Anfield had even been built. It’s completely unrecognisable now.

This is Anfield now – Originally home to Everton, when the Toffees left Anfield in 1892 after a rent dispute with the ground’s landlord, Liverpool Football Club was formed to fill the football void at the ground. More than 120 years later, the Reds are still there – including the Kop (the original of which was built in 1906) – and current owners FSG redeveloped the ground with the new main stand in 2016 boosting the capacity to 54,074.